Old Scars and New Wings
by Duly Ignored
Summary: Some months after the end of Season 1, Robin vanishes on a team mission. A year later, he reapears. But there are some... complications. Like the new members of his 'family', the 14-foot wings, and the fact that he's MUTE! Watch as a scarred Dick Grayson adjusts to the chages and reintigrates himself back into the hero-life.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Cerulean eyes scanned the horizon, searching for the familiar shapes of his teammates- no, his family. *_There!_* He spotted them. His expression remained stony, but if he hadn't had his mask on, you would've seen his eyes mist at the sight.

It had been over 365 days. Over one year since that set-up mission. One year since he'd seen any of them. One year since he'd been forcibly removed from his family. One year since... since he'd flown. Flown for real.

*_I'll see them again. Soon._* the former hero thought to himself.

Suddenly his attention piqued. There was an explosion near his team's location, and it took all he had not to whip his wings out right then and rush to their aid.

*_Maybe a little peek wouldn't hurt. I'm just making sure nobody was injured..._* he reasoned with himself. Yeah, a little peek to see of anyone needed immediate medical attention. Shouldn't hurt anything. With a nod to confirm his own intentions, he pulled the dark hood of his cloak over his head and vanished into the shadows.

Swiftly and silently, he made his way to the scene. Happy Harbor had a very small slums (if you could even call it that) and the blue-eyed boy was positive that the explosion had come from the eastern portion of it. So that's where he headed.

The buildings were decrepit and the majority were abandoned. Such was the case with the warehouse and two apartments that were currently engulfed in flames. Assessing the damage, he took note of the direction the shrapnel had flown. Towards the street, not the alley behind. The bomb must have been in the front of the building.

There. There's the Atlanian, the Martian, the clone, the archer, and a couple he doesn't recognize. *Where's that yellow-and-red moron? Did he... Oh no.* he heard an all-too-familiar shout of profanity from not too far away.

Ditching any attempts to hide his presence, he whipped out his 14-foot wings and took of in the direction is the sound. He heard multiple startled gasps from below. The team saw.

The raven-haired boy, though, didn't care. In that moment, all rational thought left his brain as he soared to the aid of his friend. *_Oh, please let that idiot be alright. Please!_* Shadowed eyes frantically searched for a sign, any sign, that his comrade was safe.

No such luck for either of them.

On a the edge of a rooftop below, a freckle-faced teen glanced around him; desperation evident in his emerald hues. He may be the 'fastest teen alive', but his speed was not helping him anymore. The young speedster was stuck; his feet caught in a strange, adhesive substance. Try as he might, he could not free himself.

The ebony and grey angel hovered for a moment, debating. *_What's the big deal? Why did he yell like that? He's stuck, so what?! Wait... What's that?_* A shallow gasp escaped him before he was thrown flipping across the sky. Time suddenly slowed. Thoughts raced through his mind at speeds that would almost rival his friend.

*_A second bomb... That's what had him freaked. It was right there! He was in the direct blast-zone! Wait... Where is he?!_*

His ashen wings pivoted in their sockets and flapped desperately as he tried to right himself in the air. Wide, blue eyes scanned the world that seemed to move in slow motion around him.

A bright spot of yellow screamed at him. The light from the fiery explosion only brightening that ridiculously-colored suit of his.

That thin, runners body was flying limply through the air. Limbs trailing behind him like streamers on a kite. Hyper-vigilant eyes saw the blood. The half-closed eyes and the softly gaping mouth... The **ground** rushing up to meet him!

The world sped up again.

Lunging forward, he dove. Arms shoving themselves out of the protective fabric of the cloak in attempt to reach the ginger sooner. To catch him, and stop him from slamming against the asphalt violently.

And he did. Those desperate little arms caught the falling speedster, and powerful wings tilted swiftly to re-aim their flight from down, to up.

Strain soon became evident though. Carrying two bodies, no matter how light the second may be, is a strenuous task. The dark-haired boy is soon forced to land.

Placing his injured friend gently on the pavement, he let his wings fold protectively around them. That always made him feel better. That cocoon of feathers. It made him feel like nothing in the world could get at him. Like he was safe.

The shock of the explosion was beginning to wear off. For both of them. The smaller boy could vaguely hear the crackling of the flames and the wailing of sirens, but they were still distant and didn't seem to effect him. The older of the two was beginning to stir. His eyes losing their glazed look, and his breathing becoming more deep and regular.

Inside the darkness of their soft cocoon: the blue-eyed boy knew his friend, despite their closeness, wouldn't recognize him. So he stayed, protecting the one who once protected him.

He saw the staining crimson on the red-head's shoulder. His suit was torn, as was the skin beneath. He gently pulled the ripped fabric away from the wound. *_Oh my God..._* Despite his light touch, a grimace of pain took over his usually cheery features. *_I'm so sorry..._* Blood began to spill faster, so he completely tore the material and placed it over the bloody mess that was his shoulder. Pressing down, stemming the flow. *_Holy shit... His super-healing better kick in soon..._*

Suddenly remembering his friend's ridiculous metabolism, he reached with his free hand for the older's wrist. Popping open the container (which was lovingly referred to as 'the cabinet') he pulled out a specially-made energy bar. The dazed speedster took it; first nibbling on the edges, then wolfing it down desperately after realizing how hungry he actually was.

"So, uh... who are you?" Finished with his food, the now semi-alert teenager was examining his savior. He received no response aside from a slight recoil from the sudden voice. "Oookay..."

The hooded figure above him reached into his cloak and pulled out a roll of gauze. He helped the red-head to sit up, then began wrapping the injured shoulder in the white. Despite the quick healing provided by the food, it only took a few moments for the fabric to stain. The freckle-faced teen sighed at the appearance of the color, but thanked his mysterious helper.

The shadowed figure nodded, but still refrained from speaking.

Suddenly he tensed, sensing another presence. Presences. There was more than one. And close. Too close. He peeked up out of the mass of grey plumage, and saw that he was surrounded. His once-upon-a-time family stood in a semi-circle all around him. Slowly, thankful of his shadowy hood, he got to his feet. They were all in defensive positions. Ready to take him down should he be deemed a threat. He held his hands out in an 'I surrender' gesture. His wings pulled back in non-threatening posture.

The yellow-clad boy attempted, and failed, to stand. His dark counterpart held out a hand.

"Thanks." He said as he took it and stood. Now that they stood next to eachother, it was clear they they were approximately the same height. The darker being only a half-foot shorter at most. Then he turned to the team, starting to diffuse the situation. "Its okay guys, he- you're a guy right?" A nod. "-he's on our side. See? He fixed up my shoulder!" He smiled wide and pointed to the offending injury. The other teens relaxed at this, acknowledging that they no longer felt the cloaked boy was a threat. Or at least, not a big one.

The Atlanian stepped forward; as trusting as the shadow-boy remembered. He held out a hand that the shadow-boy refuted with a shake of his head. He let his hand fall with a nod of understanding. Slight dejection playing across his features. He continued despite.

"Thank you for helping." he continued, giving a mostly unnecessary round of introductions.

"May I ask who you are?" The young adult asked. The cloaked boy took a step back. No. He couldn't speak. He had no voice. That privilege had been- painfully -taken away.

They all understood, though. Or thought that they did. The others believed he was merely keeping secrets. Playing them. Trying to hide. Not all of them accepted it.

"What've you got to hide?" One if the newbies asked. "It's not as if we're the BAD guys." She gestured at the rest of the team. They all nodded in agreement.

He took another step back. She took a step forward.

*_Please don't start something. Please don't start something. PLEASE don't start something!_* The thought raced through the cloaked boy's mind as a few of the others joined in her halting advance. The Atlanian held out his hands in placating gestures, but they ignored him.

"Yeah, you just_ showed up_ out of nowhere!"

"How do we knew you aren't working with the bad guys?!"

"Just tell us who you are!"

The accusations stung, but he could do naught but back away from the angered group.

Then his wings brushed against the wall.

Cornered. He was cornered. Surrounded on all sides. By a group of hostiles. Hostiles he wouldn't fight against if his life depended on it. And a fight looked to be imminent.

He bristled. His feathers were set on edge, his entire body tensed, and his eyes (though none could see them) were wide with fear.

*_This is not how they will find out. This is not how they will find out. This is NOT how they will find out!_* was the one thing that was evident in his mind. They couldn't discover it this way. It would shatter everything. He wanted to make his comeback as least traumatizing as possible. If they found out this way... Who knows what they'd think...

"Guys, guys, guys! Seriously! It's a sad day when I have to be the mature one!" A red-and-yellow blur said after he rushed in front of the darker fellow. "He just helped me. In fact, he probably just saved my life! There is no need to be a bunch if pushy jerks to the guy who saved me." A few of them stopped at this, seeing the sense in his words. But some didn't.

At this point, the Atlanian leader intervened.

"Friends, he is right. There is no reason to be so hostile." He waited for a moment, hoping that these words would calm his comrades. When they didn't, he went for a different approach. "This is but one person, and should he become a threat- which I'm sure he will not -we can easily overpower him." At this, the remaining few had no choice but to back off.

When he was sure there was no chance of their new ally being jumped, the Atlanian turned to him.

"I'd like to apologize for my companions' behavior. We are all a bit skittish at the moment." He received a nod. "If I may ask; why is it that you will not tell us your name?"

The cloaked boy visibly deflated. His wings drooped. The once-silvery feathers seemed dusty and limp. His shoulders sagged.

There was a moment of silence.

That moment was all the dark figure needed. The ebony spread his enormous grey-shade wings, and took silently to the sky.

And his friends could do nothing but look on in stunned silence.

*_Tomorrow is the day I'll go back._* he told himself. Because tomorrow was the day he would truly become Robin again.


	2. Chapter 1

[Authors note: since Dick can't speak, he uses sign language. I'll still put his 'words' in quotation marks though. It gets confusing otherwise.]

Disclaimer: I own this adorable little Justice League comic I pulled out of a cereal box, the plot, and my DeviantArt account (which will soon be sporting concept art from multiple stories. Watch for updates!). Nothing. Else.

* * *

Robin's/Dick's POV  
I landed softly on the roof, tucking my wings back into the folds of my dark cloak. The Flock was camped out in this abandoned apartment building.

I swung my legs over the side, and slid down onto the ledge I knew was there. I carefully gripped the edge in my calloused hands, and dropped; letting myself dangle seven stories in the air. Shifting my weight, I began to shuffle over until I reached the window. I silently swing into the empty room, tucking a neat roll despite the billowy-ness of my cloak and the bulge of my wings.

Standing, I drop my hood and remove my domino mask, slipping it into one of the many pockets I'd sewn into the lining of the cloak. There are no secret identities with the Flock. Walking into the next room with a quiet that could rival Fang's, I step around my sleeping friends. _There's Nudge, Iggy, Angel, Total, Max, Gazzy, and... Where's Fang?_ I look around, only to see my friend perched in the bay window. _Damn his ability to camouflage himself._ I think with a smile and a fond shake of my head. I walk over to him, making sure to alert him of my existence with a shuffle of my feet. He turns around to look at me.

"You're going back tomorrow, aren't you?" He says abruptly, one look at my expressive face telling him what he had (in all honesty) seen coming for a long time.

"... Yeah... They're... They're my family, Fang. I can't leave them." I sign. We both sigh heavily. "I wish you guys would reconsider my offer to stay with us. I'm positive that they'd be fine with it. Especially Batman." I look at him, giving him that impish grin that none can resist. "After all, you did help me when I needed it. That pretty much makes you an honorary member of Young Justice."

He doesn't reply. And I know why. _They can't stay forever. They just can't. It's... It's just not realistic._ But that won't stop me from wishing it were.

"If not that, then I can at least introduce you guys, and maybe you could stay for a couple days. The team would want to meet my new friends." A small, almost nonexistent, smile ghosts across his face. If I didn't used to live and work with Batman, I wouldn't have seen it. I place a comforting hand on his shoulders. We're as close as Wally and I were. Friends of the very best kind.

Then we sit in a comfortable silence.

After several minuets of quiet; "We should really both hit the hay. It's, like, three, maybe four in the morning." I walk to the tattered popason (which is now all but reserved for me) and curl up, pulling my wonderfully warm cloak around me like a blanket. Fang hasn't moved. "You know, Fang, I'll still be here in the morning if you will." Our little inside joke. At that, he gives a nod... and a genuine smile.

I bury my tired head in my arms and slip off to a fitful sleep.

* * *

"Di-ick!" A small, sing-songy voice beckons. I vaguely feel my shoulder being shaken. "Di-ick!" It comes again. Angel. It has to be.

"Here, lemme try." Shit. Gazzy!

Unwritten Rule of Living With The Flock #1: NEVER let Gazzy catch you in an unsuspecting state! (if it were written, it'd be red, italicized, bold, and underlined thrice.)

"I'm up!" I sign, bolting upright. My eyes fly open and I gaze tiredly at the two innocent (and most definitely NOT-so-innocent) siblings in front of me. Angel has her adorable, blue eyes trained on me, and Gazzy is wearing an all-too-familiar grin.

The sun is up, I notice, and there is a delightful smell emanating from the kitchen-area. I stand up, shedding my cloak and revealing my usual clothing. I'm wearing lose, black jeans and an oversized Flash t-shirt with the upper-back cut out (due to my wings). I have black, low-cut Airwalks on.

A lift my arms in a much-needed stretch, then lean down to pick up the expecting little girl in front of me. (Angel just loves it when I pick her up; nobody can explain it!) _Hey Sugar-Cube. How'd you sleep?_ I ask mentally, using my pet name for her. Having experience with the mindlink had made open mental conversations easy. It also made sensing and blocking her simple as well. (I remember how un-asterous that experience had been. She was surprised, to say the least.)

_Good, you?_ her adorable voice says in my mind. This is different than the mindlink. With that, out was as if we were all in a room, taking to eachother. Or on the phone. Even in the one-on-one conversations. With Angel, you literally heard eachother's thoughts.

_Great!_ I say. Lie. No matter where I went, the nightmares followed. And my experiences along the way only added to them.

_Liar._ she stated, throwing on her pouty/angry face. _You shouldn't lie to little kids, Robin._ She then began scanning my memories to see what I'd dreamt about. I instantly throw up my mental walls, shaking my finger at her in a not-in-your-pretty-little-life gesture. She doesn't need to see my nightmares. She has enough of her own. She crosses her arms angrily and turns away.

"Of you two are done having a mind-war, I'm hungry!" Gazzy says beside me, clutching his stomach dramatically. I laugh (oh God I hate that sound. Breathy-ghostly-almostnonexistent) in response.

'Lemme guess, you want me to help make breakfast?' I ask as I begin to head towards the kitchen. He walks beside me and nods vigorously. Everybody in the Flock loves my cooking. Not surprising; after all, I learned from Alfred!

"Hey Ig, how's it coming?" Gazzy asks over the bar/counter as I place Angel in a stool. The blind strawberry-blonde turns around and gives us a thumbs up, his mouth already full of 'samples'. I smirk at this. _Hypocrite. Isn't he always telling me not to do just that?_

"Kay kiddos, I'm gonna help make food. Any requests?" I ask. Gazzy's eyes grow bright with contemplation. So many wonderful things I can make: what to choose, what to choose?

"How about your special chocolate-chip pancakes?" Angel asks in her oh-so-sweet voice. Gazzy's eyes get wider (if that's even possible) and he nods enthusiastically.

"Alright. Tell Iggy." I say with my hands.

Then I feel a presence behind me. It feels protective. Max.

"Hey Dickie. How you feeling?" She asks innocently, a fake smile stretched across her face. Her eyes tell a very different story. They are sunken and... Depressed.

"Well I'm not dead." I say in a sad joke. I smile, raise my eyebrows, and tilt my head in a you're-damn-straight-I'm-cute way, in an expression of my weak hope she'll laugh. The smile falls as she nods solemnly.

"You... You went out again last night. And... Fang told me what you said." So that's what this is about. It's my turn to nod.

"They are my family." I begin with my pale hands. "But... You guys are too. I guess I have two families then. Or... One really big one?" I give her a sad smile. That was a nice way to look at it. Two families, come together. One big, disorganized, slightly dysfunctional, but loving family. Yeah. That was what it was.

And today, if everything went right, the entire family would be in one place. I would bring them together. And maybe, just maybe, they would stay together. That was a nice way to look at it.

Max gave me a big, genuine smile. Yes, definitely a nice way to look at it.

* * *

Pancakes had been made and consumed; and the paper plates and cheap plastic cutlery were disposed of. Gazzy was currently helping Ig practice his 'color-seeing/touching-thing'. Max and Fang were having a quiet conversion. Nudge and Angel were watching TV. I'm sitting in the decrepit bay window, watching the world below me move, thinking.

_Roy... Wally... Artemis... Kal... M'gann... Connor... And Bruce... God, Bruce. What will he do when he finds out I'm a mute? He wouldn't... He wouldn't push me away... Would he? No. This is Bruce. The Goddamn Batman. My... my dad._

I shifted a bit as another thought stuck me.

_The new Robin..._ Batman needs a Robin... I'd always known, somewhere deep in my subconscious, that when I was... gone... that Bruce would find another. That wasn't what bothered me though... Well, not entirely anyway. _What will happen when there are two Robins... The first suddenly chinking his way back into the picture? What would the effects of my sudden reappearance be? I haven't stopped long enough to think about that before..._

Suddenly my musings were cut off by a hand on my shoulder.

I looked up to see Max giving me a comforting and reassuring smile. Fang is standing behind her; a stoic expression plastered on as usual. I can see, though, that he's ready to support me too. They're all ready to do anything for me.

I stand up and pull Max into a hug. 'Thank you' it says. She pulls back after a few moments and gives me a reassuring nod.

I pull on the green hoodie that's so similar to what was my typical civvies back then, (When did I start referring to it like that? When did it start feeling like a lifetime ago?) and then a black jacket. My wings are gently folded between the soft network of the sweater and the rough inner lining it the jacket.

I needed to look as similar as I could. To back then, that is. I don't know how they might react, so making as little different as possible seems to be a good idea.

It's time.

* * *

Two hour flight later: we were perched in a tree just outside the security borders of Mount Justice. I was giving the younger ones a quick rundown on what NOT to do around my friends.

"Angel - no invading other peoples minds; no controlling others; and stay close to me!

"Gazzy - again, stay close to me; try not to antagonize anyone (I know you do it accidently sometimes); DON'T BLOW ANYTHING UP!" I signed frantically. I was more nervous right now than I had been on any of my missions as Robin. _Oh, that reminds me..._ "And don't call me Dick! Call me Robin! That's who most of them know me as."

That said, I head into the heavily guarded area that surrounds the League's ex-base. I'm aware that there are cameras everywhere, mics scattered here and there, and motion-sensors spaced about every ten feet. I'm probably setting off about a gazillion alarms right now.

I'm also aware that Fang is following my every move. His camouflaging abilities masking his presence. I don't acknowledge he's there though. He's not supposed to be. But he _IS_ my overprotective older brother (who isn't these days?), and it can't be helped.

Finally coming to the place that has the hidden code-panel, I stop. Sliding the well-disguised cover panel aside, I type in the override-code that Bats nailed into my brain once the team had first been given this place.

Nobody, aside from B himself, knows this code. It was a personal code: meant to allow me entrance should something happen to the people inside. Nothing short of absolute lockdown could prevent this from working.

As expected, the panel slides shut again, and the hangar door falls open.

As if welcoming me, the feminine computer-voice announces my arrival.

I'm home.

* * *

** AN:** Holy dramatic ending, Batman!

I'm just thinking to tell you guys this now, but the idea of Dick being mute didn't occur to me until two-thirds of the way through writing this chapter. [I write ahead, so sue me.] I went back and edited the prologue a bit (not much, seeing as he didn't say anything anyway) and changed said and all its synonyms to signed. It makes a big difference in the next chapter though.

If he could speak... *_Shivers_* It hurts to imagine what I'd have to have him say...

**REPLIES: **And here's the part where I reply to reviews and stuffs from the previous chapter.

_Girl of Twilight Wings_ \- sorry for the enter mix-up! The backstory shall be reavealed... when the time comes... *evil laughter*

_Homura_ \- Sorry about that! I didn't realize that the 'enter's didn't transfer. All fixed now!

_Chayton_ \- That's what _I _was thinking! Glad somebody caught it!

_goodstoryfan _and_ forbiddenvoid_ \- Are either of you dead yet? Was I not in time to save you guys?

_spiritualnekohime4_ \- Thank you!

Aaanyway, hope you like the chappie! I run on feedback and cookies! I've got the cookies covered, so supply me with reviews! (Please?)


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Oh my gosh guys! So very very very sorry for being so late on this! I had a bunch of life-crisis type things (a bunch of my pets died, family problems, moving repeatedly, shitty computer…. Ect.) but I have not given up on this!

So some Wally and Batman POV here. Some fluffy DaddyBats schtuff. Yup. The POVs overlap slightly timewise.

Me no own Young Justice, or Maximum Ride. If I did... Things would be different. That's all I can say...

For the first half or so, I can't help but think of part two of the song 'I'm Comin' Home' by Skylar Grey theme-wise.

LINEBREAK

Wally POV

One year. It's been a year since I've seen my little bro. (The anniversary of his disappearance was actually 19 days ago.) Though, being a speedster makes that seem like so much longer. So long, I can barely remember what his cackle sounds like_. *That creepy laugh of his...*_

We're sitting in the lounge. Those of us who are here away. Me, M'gann, Connor, Kaldur, Karen, and Robin.

Robin #3, that is. The first one, Dick, vanished. The second, Jason, was lost to the Joker. And the third... Well, Tim was the third.

He was kinda like Dick, but not quite. Less confident, I guess. More serious about the missions. But still more like him than the second one.

Tim had been with our team for a little over a month. Six missions so far, all of which had succeeded. (Thanks in no small part to him.)

Karen, aka Bumblebee, had been a part of the team for longer. She was pretty serious when it came to missions too, but she was fun to mess around with all the same. I usually refrained from hitting on her, not only to avoid Mal's bad side, but to avoid Artemis's fury as well.

_*Artemis.*_ It wasn't until after Dick vanished that we had gotten together for real. Sure we'd kissed on New Years, but that was a post-heat-of-battle kind of thing. _*I wonder what Dick would think of us? He'd probably be all like: Ha! Finally! You two have been giving eachother the goo-goo eyes since day one!*_

I curled up on myself. Hugging my legs and placing my chin on my knees as Dick crossed my mind.

*_I miss him.*_ was all I could think. *_where did he go? How did he even get caught? Who took him? Is he even still- no. I will not even CONTEMPLATE that he might be... Because he isn't. He's a surviv-*_

"Enter - Robin B01" echoed throughout the near-empty mountain.

My head snapped up. I glanced at Robin-3, making sure he was still there. _*Wait...*_ my thoughts moved quickly._ *his code is B20... B01 is Dick's. Which means...*_

I bolted out of my seat and streaked towards the hangar. _*He's home! He's home! He's home! He's HOME!*_

Seconds later I skidded to a stop just inside the hangar. There he was. Just standing there. In his old, black jacket and stupid sunglasses. I froze. So did he.

"R-Rob? I-is it really you?" I ask quietly; afraid to, if it were a mirage, break it.

He smiles (that ridiculous, cocky-ass smile that just CAN'T be faked) and nods. I take a hesitant step forward, then another, and suddenly I'm running (at normal speeds) towards him.

Tears I didn't know I was holding in were suddenly streaming down my face as I wrapped myself around him. We both fall to our knees, clinging to eachother and rocking._ *He's home! He's home! My little brother's finally home!*_ All the world could fall right now and I wouldn't be any less happy.

I pull back a bit, and look at the lenses of his shades. "Is it really you? Please, is it you, Dick?" I whisper. He smiles wider now. A hand reaches up and pulls the sunglasses down.

Those eyes. Those eyes are all the proof I need. Their one-of-a-kind blue and mischievous glint are purely Dick Grayson.

I embrace him again. "It's you. It's you. It's really you and you're really back and- ohmyGod,what'sBatsgonnado!" I accidentally slip into speedster-speak in my excitement. But neither of us care. We're both just glad he's home.

I vaguely hear footsteps and gasps.

But I don't care.

I don't care that they see me crying.

I don't care that I look pathetic.

Because Dick is home. And that's all that matters.

LINEBREAK

Dick's POV

I'm curled up, kind of on Wally's lap. My arms are wrapped around his torso, his around my entire being. I'm crying into his shirt, he's crying into my dark hair. His sobs are huge and loud; mine are small and... breathy-ghostly-almostnonexistent. I can't make much more sound than this, but that doesn't matter right now.

I hear the nearing footsteps suddenly stop.

I lift my head to look at them. I see Kal, Connor, M'gann, one of the two from last night, and... the new Robin.

Kaldur has lost his usual calm demeanor. His jaw has fallen, his silver eyes are wide. He hesitantly walks over to us, as if afraid that I'll disappear. He drops to his knees beside Wally, and takes my tear-streak face in his hands. One hand reaches up and brushes my long bangs out of my face then rests back on my cheek.

"Robin... Robin, is it really you? Have you truly come back to us?" He asks breathlessly. All I can do is nod. Wally lifts his face from my now-wet hair and looks him in the eyes.

"It's him, Kal. It's really him. There's no doubt." He sobs happily. He's beaming; smile pouring the light back into Kal's eyes. Kal smiles too.

I force one of my arms to let go of my speedster best friend, and wrap around my Atlanian brother. He falls into the embrace without another word; his hands falling from around my face to around me and Wally.

I rest my head on his shoulder for a moment then look back to Connor and M'gann. I see a crying martian and one very stunned Kryptonian clone.

M'gann, she just floats there; smiling and letting the liquid joy stream down her face. I beam at her, and she dares to hover a little closer.

Connor is frozen. He stands there and stares. But... He's not staring at my face? Lower... My neck. He's not frozen, he's bristling with barely corralled rage.

He sees the scar. He knows what it means.

Nobody else has seen it though. They're all blinded by the fact that I'm here. That I'm home.

I look him in the eyes. Slightly pleading for him to calm down. To not specifically bring it up and dampen everyone's happiness so soon.

Suddenly the zeta-beam activates. "Batman - 02" the computer supplies.

Suddenly there is silence. Dad's here.

LINEBREAK

Batman/Bruce POV

I'm siting at the Batcomputer going over the case-files from last night's activities, making sure that everything is in order. Tim is at the Cave with some of his teammates.

Suddenly there is an unfamiliar popup. In the corner of the screen. *_What's this?*_

I hesitantly click on it, and a notice expands across the screen.

'Alert - Security code for Robin-B01 used. Location- Mount Justice.'

I stare in shock. *_That... That's Dick's designation... Nobody knows that code but him!_* I stand abruptly; sending the chair rolling and an upset coffee-cup shattering to the ground.

I swipe my cowl off of the desk as I bolt to the Zeta-beams. I pass Alfred, who has seen it too. His silver tray has clattered to the stone floor.

Once in the zeta-beam, I can't help but hear a voice in the back of my mind telling me: _*it might not be him. That it might be a malfunction in the system. That it could be an enemy who managed to steal the information...*_

That voice is silenced when I step out if the zeta beam and see it. The pile of teenagers clustered on the ground around a distinctive dark head.

All heads turn to look at me as I step with forced calmness out of the teleportation system. A light-tan head that has windswept black hair on top is split in half by a million-watt grin. I drop all attempt to remain calm and composed as I realize that all of the facial features match up.

_*It's him. It's really him. Dick. Dick is home!*_

I break into a run, and he scrambles his way out of the pile of friends around him and meets me in warm and breathless embrace. My cape falls around us like a blanket. His hands grasp the front of my costume, he presses his face into my chest. His mouth moves in silent repetition of my name.

I pull him up against me. *_My son is home_.* It's all I can do not to completely break down. *_Vanished for a year and finally home.* _And I smile. For the first time in a very long time, a smile that isn't related to Tim graces my lips.

After what seems like an eternity. I gently hold his shoulders and crouch in front of him. The sunglasses have fallen from his face, but I honestly don't care.

"Where the HELL have you been!?" I ask with a small laugh. He smiles at the joking nature hidden in my words, but looks away. "Dick," I whisper, "it's okay."

But those blue eyes become clouded. He tilts his head down towards the ground. My smile falters. *_He won't meet my eyes. Why won't he meet my eyes? Why doesn't he answer me?*_

"What's wrong?" I ask quietly. "Dicky, why won't you say anything?" Slightly louder and with worry laced throughout.

"Because he can't." An unfamiliar voice answers. I stand and my eyes immediately scan the room, but I see no one that I don't recognize.

Dick's stood up too, but he's not worried. *Does he know this person?*

Suddenly a shadow bursts to life as a darkish figure with obsidian wings steps forward. I catalogue his features for later. Black hair, olive skin, tall, and dark, dark brown eyes.

My previous question is answered when he looks to Dick and speaks.

"Sorry. I know you wanted us-" *_Us?*_ "-to wait, but I wanted to make sure you were-" he is cut off by Dick shaking his head. They look eachother in the eyes for a moment, then the dark boy walks to stand by his side.

"You want me to tell them?" A nod. Dark-boy looks at me. "My name is Fang. We've been... umm... working together- for about ten months. We don't know how they caught him, or why, or what they did to him before we found him. He doesn't want to talk about it, and we respect that." He places a comforting hand on Dick's shoulder.

"But at some point, they..." A heavy, angry breath. "They. Made. Him. MUTE." He grinds out the words, the final one more so that the others. His free hand is clenching in anger.

My eyes widen, and I gently kneel in front of my son. He screws his eyes shut and tips his head back slightly, exposing his throat. My gloved hand instinctively travels up to touch the neat scar that lies length-wise across it. The moment my finger brushes against it, he stiffens. I pull my hand back.

I stand, and he lets his head hang. Fang's hand tightens its grip momentarily in a comforting squeeze.

"Do you want me to go get the others?" he asks hesitantly, looking with sad eyes at my son. Dick nods, and with one more squeeze, he calmly walks back out of the hangar to, apparently, retrieve friends.

I pull my son into another heavy embrace; murmuring that everything will be fine. Rubbing his back to soothe the shuddering.

_*Is it just me, or is there a strange bulge on his back?*_

I don't dwell on that thought.

I take a moment to look at the team. Wally was still kneeling where he had been, but there it a lost look in his eyes. As if he wants to say something to make us all-better, but can't find the right words.

Kaldur stood next to him, a hand on the speedster's shoulder and appears to be muttering Atlanian curses. (Aimed at the ones who did this to Dick? I'm all for that right now.)

Superboy was just standing there, absolutely livid. (I can't blame him.)

M'gann is no longer hovering, and she has taken on her human form; indicating that she feels powerless. (I feel the same way.) Her one hand covers her mouth, as if to try and hide her drawn-out gasp: the other sits curled in a weak ball of sorrow over her heart.

Then Tim. Tim is so... Still. He looks at the teen I'm holding so dearly with... Awe. And... longing?

*_What is he thinking right now? Does he think... Does he think I'll simply ABANDON him now that Dick is back? I really hope not. I'd never do that to ANY of the Robins. Especially not Tim. He doesn't need anyone else leaving him.*_

I turn my attention back to Dick with a heavy heart. *_I'll have to talk to Tim later.*_

Suddenly my first son backs away from me a bit, causing a wave of confusion to run through me.

Then he looks up at me and smiles. He lifts his hands and...

"I am SO glad you taught me sign language!" He exclaims with his hands, grinning for all he's worth. All I can do is smile.

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AN:

So about halfway through writing this, I was listening to Pandora, and something similar to the theme song from Young Justice came on! It really freaked me out actually...

Ooh! And I have Kal a part! A brotherly oh-my-fucking-God-you're-alive type part! (I really don't like how everyone is always bashing on Kal... Kaldur is awesome, just in his own way. There WILL be Kaldur-centric chapters in this fic! I, the author, so swear it, and thus it shall be true!)

Anywho: read and review, and the muse has incentive to crawl out of that dismal abyss that is my mind. Have a great day/night readers!


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